But the strain and anguish of seeing her trapped in the clutches of dementia is being multiplied by the lengthy round trip he must take every day – just to see her.

His heartbreak at his wife’s declining health is tinged with bitterness and a sense of alienation. You cannot help but feel sadness and sorrow at his situation, which has put him in a position where he feels he is abandoning the woman he has shared his life with.

Finding elderly people the right quality of care is never going to be an easy thing to do. Illness has no time for convenience, and often decisions which are far from perfect have to be reluctantly taken.

Surely, however, something can be done to bring Mr and Mrs Lee closer together.